Niall Collins (Limerick County, Fianna Fail)
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137. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the number of apprentices, including traineeships, projected to be in training by employment sector and subsector, in each of the years 2017 to 2020 in tabular form; the budget allocation in 2017 for State-funded apprenticeships; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [5205/17]

John Halligan (Waterford, Independent)
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The data requested by the Deputy is set out in the tables. At this stage, it is not possible to give an accurate breakdown of the forecast population in new apprenticeships on a sectoral basis. The Apprenticeship Council is continuing to work with consortia in developing a wide variety of proposals in various sectors of the economy made through the first call for proposals. In addition, the Council will issue a new call for proposals in early 2017 which, when proposals are received, will also shape the sectoral breakdown of these new apprenticeships. The recently published Action Plan to Expand Apprenticeships and Traineeships sets out annual target registrations for the period to 2020. A forecast population for new apprenticeships is set out on Table 2 based on these forecast registrations and an average duration of programmes. A clearer picture with regard to the population of new apprenticeships will only become evident when these programmes are operational for a number of years and accurate statistical data can be interrogated to produce a formal forecasting tool.

SOLAS do not yet have projected numbers in traineeship by employment sector for 2017. Set out in Table 3 is forecast enrolments for traineeships for the period 2017 to 2020 as set out in the action plan. The 2017 budget allocation for apprenticeships is €98.7m.

Table 1 - Craft Apprenticeships Populationby Industrial Sector

Table 2 – Forecast population for new apprenticeships

Table 3 - Forecast enrolments for traineeships